


of knights and crowns

by peachsneakers



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Brotherly Bonding, Creativitwins, Damsel in Distress, Fluff, Gen, Maybe blink and you miss it Roceit?, Morally Neutral Deceit Sanders, Or rather Prince in Distress, Sibling Bonding, Sympathetic Deceit Sanders, Sympathetic Remus Sanders, Trash boi to the rescue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-14
Updated: 2019-10-14
Packaged: 2020-12-14 22:10:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21023051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peachsneakers/pseuds/peachsneakers
Summary: Roman's not supposed to be the one who needs rescuing.





	of knights and crowns

**Author's Note:**

> stop-it-anxiety posted about roman being the damsel in distress and someone rescuing him so uh
> 
> this happened
> 
> also, with the prompt "remus's creation" because why not

"Well, well, well," Remus's smug voice filters through the thin branches Roman finds himself tangled in. "My brother's in _quite_ the predicament, isn't he? What even _happened_?"

"Horse threw me," Roman reluctantly admits, with a pained groan. Of course, if it had been that simple, he wouldn't need anyone's help. But no, she had to buck him off right next to a _cliff_. He's given up on trying to climb out on his own, after hearing the ominous creaking of branches all around him. It doesn't help that although he'll never tell a soul, he's petrified of heights. And she managed to toss him right off the edge of one of the tallest cliffs on his side of the imagination.

"I need more help, I think," Remus says in a considering fashion. Roman peers up through the leaves, catching a glimpse of the manic green glitter of his brother's eyes. Remus stuffs two of his fingers in his mouth and whistles. "Oh Dee Dee!"

"What?" Deceit's irritated voice reaches Roman's ears, just as the snake-like side makes it to Remus's side. "I was sun bathing, Remus," he complains, flicking his forked tongue out in an annoyed blep. "What's wrong?"

"Roman," Remus says, helpfully pointing toward Roman's entangled body.

"Well, isn't that a pretty predicament," Deceit murmurs, staring down at him. Thanks to his white prince uniform, he blazes like an unfortunate beacon. His cheeks flush angry red at Deceit's scrutiny. A branch creaks beneath him and he freezes, his heart pounding triphammer loud in his ears.

"All right, Ro," Remus says. "You're gonna have to give me permission." For a moment, Roman stares at him in confusion, his ears buzzing.

"What?" He asks. Remus sighs, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"To _create_," he says, as patiently as if he were telling a child. "Remember? It was _Morality's_ idea? So I can't just wreak havoc?"

"Not that you would ever do that," Deceit mutters, so quietly Roman can barely hear him. His expression turns fond when he looks at Roman's brother.

"Oh," Roman says. "Um-" The crack of another branch decides him, and he blurts out the next words so quickly, they all blur together. "I give you permission to create!"

Remus grins, cracking all his knuckles.

"It's showtime," he says, and flourishes a hand toward Roman, pulling it into a fist. The branches under him squirm like a thousand live snakes.

"Don't move," Deceit advises, and Roman is all too glad to accept it. He's too terrified to move anyway, not when he catches a glimpse of the thin trickle of river deep down below. Slowly- painfully slow- the branches pull Roman in, like Remus is reeling in the world's strangest fishing line. His eyebrows are drawn down deep in concentration, his mouth quivering in a sneer, as he pulls his hands slowly toward himself.

"Dee Dee, grab him," Remus finally blurts out, sweat trickling down his forehead. Cool gloved hands seize Roman's wrists, pulling him free and onto blessed solid ground. He stumbles, glancing over his shoulder to see a mat of branches, vaguely human-shaped. He has to clamp his lips shut to suppress a surge of nausea, even as Deceit tugs him farther from the edge.

"Look at me," Deceit directs softly. Surprised, Roman glances up, into concerned, mismatched eyes. The scales covering half of Deceit's face glitter in the sunlight. "There we go."

"Hey, Dee Dee," Remus says. "Do you think I could use this as a trampoline?" Alarm rockets through Roman's entire body at the idea, and he nearly turns back around, if only to try and save his brother from himself.

"Not a particularly satisfying one, no," Deceit says mildly. "So you might as well not bother."

"Oh," Remus says, sounding disappointed. "I guess you're right." Roman's eyes widen, hearing the admission. Remus _never_ listens to him. In fact, Remus seems to _delight_ in _not_ listening to him. 

Then again, he's never been good at that calm, just-this-shade-of-bored tone Deceit seems to deliver with ease...

"Are you all right?" Deceit asks, continuing to draw him further and further away. It's almost like he _knows_ how uneasy Roman feels around the edge. Roman prays that he doesn't. It's bad enough that he had to be _rescued_, he doesn't think he could ever live it down if Remus and Deceit know that he's scared of _heights_, of all things. What a silly, unprincely thing to be afraid of.

"I'm fine," he answers belatedly. Deceit's eyes narrow, his tongue flicking out to scent the air, and Roman internally winces. Did he forget that he's talking to the one person who can sense lies, never mind ones made directly to his face?

"I have a hard time believing that," Deceit murmurs, just as Remus joins them, excited and disheveled, his eyes bright.

"That was fun," Remus announces. "You should get stuck in more trees, Ro."

"I would prefer not to," Roman says, doing his best to keep his voice from shaking. "If it's all the same to you." Remus huffs a breath in disappointment.

"If you say so," he says. "Hey, what do you think would happen if I swan dived off the cliff?"

"You would regret it," Deceit answers, before Roman can. "You've tried similar things before, Remus. I'm not patching you up again, if you choose to _repeat_ foolish actions."

"Oh yeah," Remus says, chewing on a grimy thumbnail. "I forgot about that."

"Of course you did," Deceit say, but Roman can see a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Well, if that's all you needed-"

"Stay," Roman blurts out, before he can stop himself. "Both of you. Please?" Twin looks of surprise meet his, before Deceit deliberately shrugs.

"If you like then," he says. "The sun in the imagination is just as nice, if not more so, than my heat lamp."

"Sure, brother!" Remus says enthusiastically, slinging a beflounced arm around Roman's shoulders. "What do you wanna do?"

"Just...sit somewhere," Roman admits. "Be...together? This is-" He fumbles for words. "This is nice."

"So it is," Deceit hisses slowly. "Sounds fine by me."

"What about right here?" Remus asks, plopping down on the grass and taking Roman with him in an undignified sprawl. Roman squawks in surprise and scrambles to a sitting position, his face burning. It doesn't help that he can hear Deceit's soft laughter.

"Sounds fine by me," Deceit says, gracefully lowering himself to the ground. He takes his hat off, leaving it in his lap and letting the wind ruffle through unruly curls.

"Thank you," Roman says. "For rescuing me, I mean."

"Of course," Deceit says, inclining his head. Remus snickers, bumping Roman's shoulder with his own.

"You're my _brother_," he says, as if it's the simplest thing in the world. "Of course I was gonna help rescue you." He holds up a cell phone, octopus charm dangling from it. "I took a bunch of pictures first, though," Remus grins.

"_Remus!_" Roman shrieks. Deceit laughs, the sound spiraling high in the balmy summer air. After a minute or two, the two brothers' laughter joins him.


End file.
